Small article holder



Dec; 17, 1968 G. A. TURNER 3,416,670

SMALL ART I CLE HOLDER Filed Oct 14, 1966 INVENTOR. GUY A.TURNER United States Patent 3,416,670 SMALL ARTICLE HOLDER Guy A. Turner, 8410 Sunrise, La Mesa, Calif. 92041 Filed Oct. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 586,802 5 Claims. (Cl. 211-60) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automobile glove compartment having a plurality of pockets secured to the upper and side surfaces of the compartment for carrying small articles or the like and which pockets project only slightly inwardly into the volume of the compartment.

There are many compartments, such as tool boxes, fishing boxes, brief cases, lockers and the like that have a rectangular interior volume which is not equipped with pockets for holding small articles. Thus the smaller articles must be placed in the large compartment, with, under or around larger articles. This makes it difficult to find the smaller articles in the compartment. While in some compartments small trays are provided for holding small articles, these trays are not flexible and do not hold the smaller articles away from the central volume of the compartment. Rather the trays merely make it impossible to carry larger objects in the compartment. This problem of supporting smaller articles is particularly a problem in present day glove compartments in automobiles, boats, trains, planes and the like. In most glove compartments of automobiles, there is no means for individually supporting loose, small articles such as fountain pens, sunglasses, combs and the like. Thus there is a need for a small article supporting means that may be easily and cheaply made, that is easily transported and that will fit into most compartments with ease.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a new and improved small article holder.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved glove compartment for trucks, autos, boats, planes and other like vehicles.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved small article holder for fitting inside existing compartments in vehicles, clothes lockers, desk drawers, brief cases, tool boxes, and other compartments.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved glove compartment having means for holding small articles and which means fits around the inner upper surfaces of the compartments and does not substantially interfere with the internal volume of the compartment.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved small article holder having a substantially rigid structure that securely fits inside an existing compartment and that holds small articles and which article holder does not substantially interfere with the internal volume of the compartment.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved small article holder for supporting small articles and which article holder in its unassembled form lies flat and in its assembled form has a substantially rigid structure that fits the internal configuration of an existing compartment.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved article holder that is inexpensive to make, is substantially permanent in construction and that may be easily and quickly assembled and inserted or removed from existing compartments.

I accomplish the foregoing objects of my invention by employing a unique article holder having support means for supporting small articles. The article holder of my 3,416,670 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 invention may take several forms all of which are considered to be a part of my invention. The article holder may comprise a substantially flat rectangular piece of material such as plastic, felt or the like having a plurality of small pockets on the surface thereof for holding small articles such as cigarettes, sunglasses, combs, fountain pens and the like. The surface of the piece of material would have glue, cement or the like on the side opposite the side of the pockets for adhering the holder to the under surface of the upper wall of an existing compartment.

In another form of my invention, the support means comprises a substantially flat rectangular flexible piece of material such as plastic or the like having a plurality of pockets as previously described on the underneath surface. The rectangular shaped support means has apertures along the edges thereof for receiving at least a pair of wires on either side. The pair of wires are shaped to substantially conform to the inner shapes and surfaces of existing compartments. The wires are threaded through the apertures in the fiat, flexible support means for supporting the support means in the existing compartments. The wires are sufficiently flexed to resiliently fit against the sides of the compartment and hold the support means and the attached pocket in a firm position in the compartment.

In still another fonm of my invention the support means will comprise a substantially rigid plastic molded member having a top member and a pair of side members. Each of the members have a plurality of the pockets previously described secured to one surface. In assembly, the pairs of side members are secured to the ends of the top memher by a rigid connection. This rigid connection has adjoining shoulders that hold a fixed configurational relationship between the parts. When assembled the side members are flexed inwardly to permit insertion into an existing compartment where they then flex outwardly holding the rigid structure in the existing compartment. As may be understood, each of the structures described place pockets for supporting small articles in an existing compartment in a position where the pockets do not substantially interfere with the internal volume of the compartment.

In still another form of my invention the pockets are made substantially integral with the inner surface of a new compartment that may have a substantially rigid structure. This compartment would be a replacement for existing compartments such as glove compartments in trucks, autos, boats, planes and the like.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will readily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which,

FIGURE 1 is a side view in perspective of an embodiment of my invention in which a flexible support means having small pockets is supported by at least a pair of wires for insertion into an existing compartment.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of another modification of an article holder of my invention in which a pair of substantially rigid side members are releasably attached to a top member.

FIGURE 3 is a view of still another embodiment of my invention in which the article holder of my invention is a part of a new compartment.

FIGURE 4 is a view of still another embodiment of my invention in which the article holder is substantially flat.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, a support means 10 for supporting articles comprises a substantially flexible material that may be constructed from plastic or other suitable materials. The support means has a channel 29 in each edge of the central portion for receiving a pair of wires 20 and 22. The wire members are threaded through the longitudinal channels 29 in the edges of the flexible member with the ends of the wire members and 22 fitting into recesses 24 and 26 in the end edges of the flexible rectangularly shaped member 10. It is to be understood that the member I!) can have a longitudinal channel running between the edge channels 29 for carrying additional supporting wires. A plurality of pockets 16 are supported on the underneath side of the flexible member It) and are secured thereto such as by adhesive, cement, rivets or as an integral part in the original construction. The pockets are attached as at 14 and 18 at intervals to the undersurface of the flexible member 10 and with the flexible portion 21 forming the pocket. Generally as at 16 the edge of the pocket is cut back or recessed in from the leading edge of the attachment portion 18 to permit easy grasp of articles in the pockets.

It may be seen that the flexible member 10 prior to installation will lay substantially flat and can be packaged with the wire members 20 and 22 in a substantially flat package. In installation the wire members are threaded through the channels 29 with the ends projected into the recesses 20 and 24 at the ends of the flexible member 10. The entire structure then assumes the shape of the wire members 20 and 22. In insertion in the glove compartment, the ends of the wire members 20 and 22. are flexed inwardly and the entire structure is fitted inside the substantially rectangular cavity of the glove compartment 30.

The wire members then flex outwardly holding the entire supporting means of the article holder in the glove compartment. Thus the pockets are capable of supporting small articles in existing glove compartments and yet the pockets do not substantially interefere with the inner volume of the glove compartment 30. The article holder can be selectively removed by merely grasping the edges of the ends of the flexible member 10 and flexing the wire members 22 and 26 inwardly removing the article holder from the glove compartment.

In another embodiment of my invention shown in FIG- URE 2, the supporting means comprises a substantially rigid center member 34 and a pair of side members 36 and 38 that may be made of plastic or other suitable materials. Secured to the top member 34 and the similarly constructed side members 36 and 38 are a plurality of flexible pockets 40, 42, and 44. The pockets may be made of flexible plastic or from other suitable material and fixed to the inner surface of the members in any known manner. The pockets will have substantially the same configuration as that previously described in FIGURE 1. The top member and the side members 36 and 38 are fixed together by a releasable attachment means 51. This attachment means comprises a longitudinal slot 46 and a cooperating longitudinal cylindrical edge 48 that are secured to the center member 34 and members 36 and 38. The cylindrical member can be snapped into recess 46 or it may be slidably moved into the recess 46 by inserting it from one end and sliding it along the length thereof. When the longitudinal member 48 is fitted into recess 46, shoulder members 50 and 52 abut each other forming a substantially rigid curved construction. In insertion into a compartment, the side members 36 and 38 are flexed inwardly, sufficiently to insert the structure into the compartment. After the structure is inserted into the compartment such as a glove compartment, the side members then flex outwardly securely holding the article holder in the existing compartment.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is shown still another modification of my invention in which flexible pockets 56 for holding articles and the like as previously described in regard to FIGURE 1, are integrally secured to the top and sides of a compartment 54. This form of my invention functions as a replacement for existing compartments such as glove compartments in automobiles or the like and provides flexible pockets for holding small articles and which pockets and articles do not interfere with the substantial volume of the compartment.

With reference now to FIGURE 4, still another embodiment of my invention is shown that comprises a substantially rectangular flexible member 58 that may be made of plastic or other suitable materials. Secured to the underneath surface of the longitudinal member 58 are a plurality of pockets 62 that may be fixed thereto by original integral construction or may be fastened thereto by adhesive, cement, rivets or the like. The flat flexible member 58 has a shape that substantially corresponds with the inner surface of an existing compartment.

It may thus be seen that my invention provides a means for holding small articles or the like in existing compartments. While my invention has obvious application to any type compartment such as lockers, desk drawers, brief cases, tool boxes, kitchen cupboards and the like it has particularly unique application to compartments of trucks, automobiles, boats, airplanes and the like.

Although I have described several embodiments of the present invention, it is clear from the above description that many other changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed by the scope of the appended claims.

Having read the foregoing specifications, I now claim:

1. An article holder comprising,

a rigid rectangular compartment having a top wall, a bottom wall and three side walls with one side of the compartment being completely open,

a plurality of half cylindrical shaped pockets secured in a distributed spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of two opposite side walls and the top Wall of the compartment,

the sides of the pockets secured to the walls being adjacent for each of the pockets,

and the total cross sectional area within all of the pockets being substantially less than the cross sectional area i of the open side with the sides of the pockets only slightly projecting into the volume of the compartment.

2. An article holder as claimed in claim 1 in which,

a plurality of the pockets covering the inner surface of the top wall,

and the pockets secured to the side walls terminating a spaced distance from the inner surface of the bottom wall.

3. An article holder as claimed in claim 2 in which,

the pockets being open to the open side and being aligned in a direction that is normal to the plane of the open side.

4. An article holder as claimed in claim 3 in which,

the edges of each of the pockets adjacent the open side having a substantially half circular shape with an are shaped notch in the center of each of the edges,

and the ends of the pockets adjacent the side wall opposite the open side being open.

5. An article holder as claimed in claim 4 in which,

the connection points of adjacent sides of each of the pockets being spaced, one from the other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,684,232. 9/1928 Levit 15052 2,359,372 10/1944 Leader 21135 XR 2,746,505 5/1956 Howard ISO-52 2,820,687 1/1958 Waring 211 XR 3,239,069 3/1966 Hollins 21160 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 3l2293, 351 

